Category: Craft

Dissapearing reappearing ink

On By CarynIn Craft

We’ve had Pilot Frixion pens in our house for a few years because they were recommended for my youngest as something that makes an easy dark mark, but is erasable. (We keep a stock of #1 pencils as well.) I recently found out that it is the friction heat from the eraser that “erases” the ink, and microwaves can make the ink disappear as well. Time for an experiment!

Test paper, with marks from a standard Pilot G-2 pen, and six different colors of Pilot Frixion pens
Test paper, with “Pilot” erased with the attached Frixion eraser
Test paper after 1 minute on high in the microwave (the red and orange were positioned in the center of the microwave turntable)
Test paper after a night in the freezer (I forgot about it!)

The regular pen ink behaved as expected, with no change after exposure to heat or cold. The Frixion ink does disappear when “erased” with the attached eraser, but also when subjected to 1 minute on high in the microwave. We found 1 minute to be the minimum time required. The best part is that when the paper is placed in the freezer, all the ink reappears! There is some fading, but it is all quite readable. I have cycled the paper four times through the heat/cold process, and the writing is still visible after a couple hours in the freezer.

I have been using these pens to write on greeting cards because I can erase. Hm. If mailed a card to the north during the winter, I guess those mistakes come back. Good to know.

Gilding tip

On By CarynIn Craft

To add a little pizzazz to my greeting card, I ran an oil-based silver marker down the edge of the card stock to gild it. It gives a little definition to the edge, and a flash of sparkle. It worked well, though one pen only covers the front three edges of about 12 cards. This collection was a custom order, but I did a few extra and uploaded them to my Etsy site.

Gilding a greeting card with oil-based silver marker

Prototype

On By CarynIn Craft

It isn’t often that I finish my prototype after I finish a larger project. Usually the idea is to wrap up the smaller project first so I’m better prepared. Ah well. This doll’s scarf was my purse project, and I used it to figure out a pattern I purchased. When I finished the larger scarf (see yesterday’s post), I still had waiting time, so pulled this project out of my purse and bound it off.

Finished doll scarf

Since I added a button to the larger scarf, I gave this one a button too. I found in my stash a hand made polymer clay and metal button I created years ago. It coordinated with the yarn beautifully!

Blocked and buttoned triangular doll scarf

The pattern for this scarf is from Dessert Blossom Crafts and is called “Amore Shawl”. It is a nice pattern once you get the repeats down.

That didn’t take long

On By CarynIn Craft

My second waiting shawl is more like a brief pause shawl. It took less than a week to finish, and probably only three or four hours of active work. Crochet lace goes fast, especially with thicker yarn.

Finished shawl/scarf, hand spun roving from Supernova dye works, crocheted with a pattern from Desert Blossom Crafts

It is more the size of a scarf than a shawl, and to help it stay on, I put a button on one corner, and use the natural holes in the lace as button holes.

Shawl after blocking with sewn on button

I like how the color variation came out. When I spun it on my vintage wheel, I separated out the colors in the roving, sorted them, then spun. I used a chain ply to preserve the gradient. The gradient came out beautifully when it was crocheted!

So pretty!

On By CarynIn Craft

Step three in my 3D print design process has yielded a beautiful result! I was fascinated with a spindle printed in flexible filament I found at the fiber festival and asked my printer if he had flexible filament. He had a better idea: PETG. This is a plastic used for water bottles and is very sturdy and impact resistant. Done in clear it also has a sheen almost like calcite. So pretty! It is easy to sand and shape as well. I sent a new design to be printed.

New 3D printed spindle in testing

I took some Shetland wool roving with me to pick up the spindle, then sat at my favorite coffee shop and spun while sipping a gingerbread latte. Yum.

Cop of yarn and printed spindle

The cop of yarn I spun slid off the spindle easily. I did use some 400 grit sand paper to take down some of the printing artifacts inside the channel and holes. The spindle is very light, so my printer suggested putting weights in the cavity I designed. Brilliant. I found some long square tube beads that fit down inside. The little bit of extra weight helped it spin better, and is adjustable! Nice. I prefer square weighs, so if they escape they don’t go rolling everywhere.

Spindle with beads
Spindle with beads inside the cavity for weight

I like this version, but I have some tweaks to the design for the next round. Eventually I will have to do a destructive test, and drop my pretty spindle on the ground. But I’ll wait a bit.

A shout out to my printer, X of all Trades, and the best coffee shop out there, The Full Cup, without whom I wouldn’t have found someone to make 3D prints!